Return of Internet in Sudan Reveals More of 3 June Massacre

More than a month later, internet services have been resorted in Sudan. Sudan’s telecom providers MTN Sudan and Sudani were the first to restore mobile access to the internet on 9 June 2019. Zain Sudan followed a few hours later.

The return of the internet services in Sudan was marked by a flood of footage from Khartoum Massacre on 3 June 2019. Dozens of videos of the attack have been shared on social media under the hashtag #توثيق_مجزرة_القياده_العامه, which translates to “Documentation of the massacre in Al Qeyada”.

It is now clear why Sudan’s TMC shut down Internet. In just few hours since ban lifted, first-hand accounts, footage of 3rd June massacre being posted.

And they are horrible.

Don’t underestimate peoples anger, think they can quickly move on when horror is fresh in their minds.

— Rashid Abdi (@RAbdiCG) July 9, 2019

Return of the internet in Sudan has caused an influx on footage from the 3 June attack. Already the “military council violations” telegram channel has already verified and shared five videos.

— Kaamil Ahmed (@KaamilAhmed) July 9, 2019

New videos are now pouring out showing the aftermath of the June 3rd massacre and violations by security forces in the subsequent days.

Some very graphic footage on the @girifna page.

— Yousra Elbagir (@YousraElbagir) July 9, 2019

The internet is back in Sudan. Until now the military refused to turn on the internet, calling it a threat to national security. Let’s see what happens now.

— Declan Walsh (@declanwalsh) July 9, 2019

At dawn on 3 June (the 29th day of the holy month of Ramadan), Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and other paramilitary forces raided the monthslong mass sit-in in Al Qeyada in front of the headquarters of the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), killing at least 120 people and injuring more than 300. At least 40 bodies were pulled out of the Nile River where paramilitary forces attempted to dispose of dead bodies. In addition, residents reported rapes and robberies at the hands of paramilitary forces. Others have been arrested, brutally beaten and even urinated on.

The ruling Transitional Military Council (TMC) has cut off almost all internet since 4 June 2019.

The restoration of internet services in Sudan comes after Sudanese lawyer Abdelaziz Al Hassan launched a lawsuit challenging the internet shutdown. However, the restoration was limited to fixed landlines, which led Al Hassan to demand it be extended to 3G and 4G mobile services. As a result, the court issued an order to Zain, MTN and Sudani to restore their mobile internet services. Many took to social media to confirm services had been restored on their mobile devices using the hashtag #عودة_الانترنت_الى_السودان, which translates to “The return of the internet in Sudan”.

#عودة_الانترنت_الى_السودان
عدنا ولم تعد بسماتنا هي نفسها …
عدنا ودموعنا لم تجف بعد …
لا أنسى اصوات الرصاص …
لا أنسى اهات الحسرة …
حكايات لا تحكيها الكلمات …
عبرات…
وعيون خائفة …
عدنا ولكن لم تعد بسمات رفاقنا الشهداء..
هم ربحوا ونحن خسرنا
وأملنا ….وطن …

— 👑الملكة👑 (@almaleekaah) July 9, 2019

بما يشبه عودة الحياة عادت خدمة الٱنترنت في السودان ,
الآن بإمكاننا التواصل مع أهلنا واحبابنا بالوطن اسفيريا بعد غياب 40 يوما ,,
اول إشعار استقبلته بعد هذه العودة المظفرة تهنئة بالعيد وكان لها مذاق العيد وكأن العيد يتجدد الآن ,,

كل عام والوطن بخير #عودة_الانترنت_الى_السودان

— Abdelwahab Eltayeb (@wahba991) July 9, 2019

In addition, the restoration of internet services in Sudan comes after the TMC and the Forces for Freedom and Change (FFC) reached a power-sharing agreement on 5 June 2019. Under the agreement, a joint 11-member military-civilian sovereign council will be established to rule the country by rotation for a period of at least three years and three months until democratic elections are held in 2022.